About ten days ago, I had a seizure. Wait, what? What in the world happened? I came home from dropping my kids off at school. I fixed myself a bowl of oatmeal for breakfast and sat on my couch. I placed the oatmeal on the coffee table and fetched the […]
Can you take a test on your own to diagnose fibromyalgia at home? That is one of the most common questions asked when individuals suspect they may have fibromyalgia. The short answer is yes; there are ways to evaluate whether or not your symptoms could be related to fibromyalgia. The […]
How do I talk to my doctor about fibromyalgia? This is, unfortunately, a very common question among Fibro Warriors. Very often, an individual will suffer from chronic pain, joint dysfunction, Fibro Fog, and sometimes added issues that are commonly associated with fibromyalgia. Unfortunately, there are still way too many people […]
Over the weekend, I had a polysomnographic study done. In plain words, it was a sleep study. As many Fibro Warriors are well to aware of, Fibromyalgia often is accompanied by various comorbidities. A comorbidity is a medical condition that tags along. For example, Irritable Bowel Syndrome could be a […]
Ahhhh… The Holidays… That magical season when we all rejoice… The weather gets nippy (at least in the Northern Hemisphere – and away from the Equator!). The streets shimmer with thousands of tiny light bulbs and fake icicles (seriously though, icicles are never blue in nature). The evergreen trees get […]
Whether or not you have fibromyalgia is something you should discuss with your healthcare provider. Nothing the internet gives you can ever replace the sound professional advice a trained medical professional can offer. Sure, you can get a better idea of what’s going on with you and whether or not […]
Is there a test to diagnose fibromyalgia with absolute certainty? This is the ten million dollar question. And the short answer is, “No.” I understand this is most likely not the answer you were hoping for, and it certainly does not seem helpful at first glance. But just because there […]
First, I’m sure you’re wondering what this “this” is which I can’t handle any longer. Let me put it simply for the world to see. “This” can be anything. Hear me out. We all have things that we do, things that we have to do and things that we love […]
Oh, how rich I would be if I got a penny for every person who has asked me if fibromyalgia was actually a real thing! Let me assure me that for fibromyalgia patients, or Fibro Warriors as we like to call them around here, well for fibromyalgia patients, it is […]
I was hanging out with my best friend’s daughter this morning while my friend ran errands. We will call her L. So L and I are just playing, dancing, watching Curious George, you know: all the things a two-year-old might do. And then she wanted food. I did not want […]
“How are you? You look great! Gosh, I wish I were as healthy as you are! I got a cold two weeks ago. That was the worst! You’re so lucky you don’t have to deal with the kind of stuffy nose I had!” “You’re still in bed? What’s wrong with […]
Two days a week, I work at a local cafe as a server. I love the job. The customer fluctuates between packed like Times Square on New Year’s Eve and empty as a school building on a Sunday. Only God knows why it is like this, but it’s still a […]
Have you ever heard the sage advice our grandmothers used to give us when we told them we were going to travel the world? They told us not to drink the water. Whatever beverage was offered in a bottle was fine, but don’t drink the water. If you’re like me, […]
A Fibro Flare is a sudden resurgence of symptoms of fibromyalgia. Fibromyalgia is real, despite the popular misconception that portrays fibromyalgia as a fake diagnosis doctor throw at whiny patients to make them stop complaining. That, or they have no clue what their patients are suffering from, so they label […]
When I was a kid, my Dad’s best friend was a miller. He had a water wheel set up on a little river and it provided the energy to crush wheat grains and turn it into flour. I was always fascinated by the amount of energy required to make that […]
Odd title, right? But admit it, it picked your curiosity! I should clarify a couple of things right off the bat. First, the below is me interviewing myself. That’s weird. So I’m going to pretend it’s all good, and roll with the tide. Second, I probably should explain why I’ve […]
You have fibromyalgia. How can I help? How sweet do those few words sound? Wouldn’t it be amazing if everyone we met would recognize that we have a lifelong debilitating condition, and would realize that we need help? There is nothing shameful about having fibromyalgia. However, more often than not, […]
Before I write another word, I need to make a confession. I have said before that I am obese. 300+ pounds at the moment. One does not get to this glorious number without eating. That’s just science. But here is the deal: I love food. I don’t mean that I […]
It’s a beautiful Sunday afternoon. The sun is finally showing its nose, and the warm rays feel good on my back. I am waiting on a city park bench in North Minneapolis, in Minnesota. I am reveling in the laughter of kids playing with their mom on a play structure, […]
Recently, TheFibroWarriors.com expanded our community by creating a Facebook group. The group has one simple focus: make everyone welcome to share their story, confide in Fibro Warriors who understand exactly how they feel, and never again be afraid to express their true feelings. Fibromyalgia is a lonely ailment. It is […]
Fibromyalgia is an odd bird. It’s not like bronchitis or strep throat, where definite symptoms point to one possible diagnosis – no guessing, no errors. But fibromyalgia is also not like migraines or depression, where the diagnosis relies mostly on the patient’s account of internal symptoms. Nope. That would be […]
I know what you’re thinking. Exercising is nearly impossible some days when you suffer from fibromyalgia. Trust me, I get it. But here is the deal: if we stop moving altogether, pretty soon we won’t be able to move at all. So while it sounds counterintuitive, the best thing you […]
There are countless “worth a try” ideas to keep fibromyalgia flare-ups at bay. As a Fibro Warrior myself, I have tried a good number of things, from grandma’s remedies to state of the art therapy. Some have helped and some have not, which makes. You would never expect a shirt […]
Just so you know, this isn’t your mother’s to do list. From my own experiences, here are 29 + 1 ways I have tried to keep the fibromyalgia symptoms away. Some work better than others, and you can count on my blunt honesty to tell you why or why not. […]
“I’m sorry? What do you have? Fibromyalgia? Isn’t that a made-up thing? You sure don’t look sick.” How many times have we, as fibromyalgia sufferers, had to justify that our ailment is real! Oftentimes, when you tell someone you are sick, they give you the quick once over and retort […]
A day in the life of… 6:30 AM. You’ve had 9 hours of sleep, yet you can’t seem to be able to wake up. You function on auto-pilot and get going in a zombie-like state. 9:00 AM. Your friend gives you a call. You talk about next Sunday’s get-together. You […]